1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to digital cameras and, in particular, to a digital camera system with a scanning mechanism integrated therein.
2. Related Art
A digital camera is a well known device that includes a charge-coupled device (CCD) for converting an image received by the digital camera into digital data. This digital data is usually stored into memory and later downloaded so that a picture of the image defined by the digital data can be developed. The digital data can also be transmitted to a display screen that renders the image defined by the digital data. In fact, most digital cameras include a liquid crystal display (LCD) that renders the images defined by the digital data, when desired.
However, a problem with most digital cameras is that they are not readily suited for creating a readable image of a textual document. Indeed, the resolution of most digital cameras is not sufficient to produce an image of a textual document such that the text of the document is readable from the image. Although the resolution of a digital camera""s lens can be increased, the size and cost of the camera""s lens usually increases with resolution. Therefore, a lens having sufficient resolution for defining the text of a textual document in a readable form is usually expensive and relatively large. In fact, the large size of such a lens is likely to deter many users from utilizing the lens, especially in applications where the digital camera is frequently transported. Therefore, many users are likely to select a digital camera having a lens that is insufficient for imaging the text of a textual document in a readable form.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry for providing a digital camera system capable of imaging the text of a textual document in a readable form. To facilitate transportation, it is desirable for the size of the digital camera system to be minimized.
The present invention overcomes the inadequacies and deficiencies of the prior art as discussed hereinbefore. Generally described, the present invention provides a digital camera system capable of scanning the text of a document to define data that produces a readable image of the text of the document when the data is rendered to a user.
The present invention utilizes a lens, a conversion device, a scanning mechanism, a storage device, and a system controller. The lens receives light from a scene, and the conversion device defines a first set of digital data based on this light. The scanning mechanism scans a document as the system is passed over the surface of the document and produces a second set of data that defines an image of the document. The system controller stores the first and second sets of data into the storage device.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the scanning mechanism includes an imaging sensor, a navigational sensor, and a processing device. The imaging sensor and navigational sensors receive light from the document as the system is passed over the surface of the document and produce electrical signals based on this light. The processing device receives the electrical signals and tracks a path of the system across the document based on the electrical signals received from the navigational sensor. The processing device also defines the second set of digital data based on the electrical signals received from the imaging sensor.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the system controller merges the first and second sets of digital data into a third set of digital data. Therefore, images corresponding with the first and second sets of digital data can be defined by the third set of digital data and can be simultaneously displayed to the user as a single image.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, an audio signal interface may be used to receive an audio message and to define a third set of digital data based on the audio message. The system controller then stores the third set of data into the storage device. If desired, the system controller may correlate any of the data files stored in the storage device based on inputs from a user.
The present invention can also be viewed as providing a method for use with a digital camera. Briefly described, the method can be broadly conceptualized by the following steps: receiving light through a lens of a digital camera; defining a first set of digital data based on the light; scanning a document via an imaging sensor of the digital camera; defining a second set of digital data based on the scanning step; and storing the first and second sets of digital data into a storage device of the digital camera.